Automatic sprinkler.



R. S. DAVIDSON. AUTOMATIC sPmNKLER. l'APPIIATION AFILED APH. 26, 1916.

Patented June 5. 19W.

UNITED s AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jufie 5, 191V?.

Application med iapril es, 191e. serial No. 93,672.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROLAND STERLING DAvlnsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of Vinnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, in the Dominion of Canada,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sprinklers used for the protection of buildings from fire, and it relates more particularly to the means by which these are caused to automatically operate upon the occurrence of a fire in a buildging in which they are installed. Prior tomy invention sprinklers of the class to which this belongs depended for their operation upon a rise in the temperature of the surrounding air reaching a given point, such being usually the fusing point of some metal used as a solder to connect certain parts of the apparatus upon the release of which the device Was arranged to operate.` My device differs from these in that a rapid rise only of the temperature is necessary to automatically operate the sprinklers, and this rise, so that it be rapid, need not reach any particular degree of temperature. This vdifference in the mode of operation is particularly valuable in the ease of 'buildings having a low initial temperature, such for instance as cold storage plants, where the normal temperature is so low that great damage might be done by a eonflagration before sufficient heat resulted to operate the sprinklers of the older type.

The objects of the invention it is thought are clearly set out in the preceding paragraphs, and the means by which they are attained will be found first described in thi following specification, then more particu- .larly pointed out in the appended claims and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which similar characters of `reference indicate similar parts throughout the different views.

Referring to these- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sprinkler embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line Z of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the manner in which the actuating members are connected witheach other in one form of the device.

projecting point 21 adapted to enter a coun- 'Y rtersunk depression 22 in the end of the set- Fig. 4 is a section through the .central actuating member.

Fig. 5 is the valve cap retaining strut. 1,

Fig. G is the lever by which the cap retaining strut is maintained in position.

Fig. 7 is the detent or trigger which normally locks the cap retaining strut and leier in engagement. y

Fig. 8 is a side elevation partly in section of a modified form of the invention. 'e 65 Fig. 9 is a plan View of the body of the*-A invention as illustrated in Fig. 8 and takenf; on the line 99 therein. i

Fig. 10 shows a further inodificatior of the invention, and

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the same on t e line 11-11 in Fig. 10.4 i

In the drawings 1 indicates the body of the structure, this being provided with a portion 3 exteriorly screw-threaded for connection with the piping system furnishing liquid to the sprinklers, and hollow as at 4 in F ig.'2 to allow the said liquid to reach the valve 5 which is normally closed by the cap 6.

A yoke rises above the body of the device, the arms 7 and 8 of the yoke ending in a member ,y 10 at the top adapted to support a defiector 12 extending therearound, the deflector and member 10 being apertured vertically Iand the latter interiorly screwthreaded for interengagement with the threads on a bolt 13 which passes down through both.

The valve cap G has a central raised portion 14 having a central depression 15 conbtersunk therein to receive the point 16 of the cap retaining strut 17, the Asaid strbt vhaving its upper edge beveled back to prfovide a knife edge 1S adapted to engage lin a groove 19 passing laterally across the under side of the lever 20, the upper side of the lever being formed with a vertically screw 13, the lever 20 also having a later ally extending arm 23.

The body of the device is provided with a flange 24 which may exten'd entirely around the said body or be formed on one side only as in Figs. 1 and 2, the flange being shaped to provide a recess 25 having a groove E2G crossing, the bottom thereof to receive a knife edged projection 27 formed on the lower end of the' actuating detent or trig- 20 crossing the top thereof.

flange 2st `the latter ger Q8 vertically positioned to engage the under smile oi the arm Q3 of the lever 2O adjacent the end thereof, the detent 28 thus becoming the power applied to the lever e, fulcrumed at the point 21, to maintain the l, be required to bring the parts under proper tension, but after such adjustment it is usual to loca: the set-.screw against further movement by boring the head 10 and set-screwT and pinning them together, thus preventing 1 5 tampering.

ln the device Kas'illustrated in Fig. 1 and kindred i'igures the detent 28 is provided with horizontal toe 29 extending out at the bottom, the said toe having a groove 30 The actuating means in this case comprises three members imA lcated as 31, and 33, rigidly connected at the top by a bar it or other suitable means, and 'vertically positioned above the 4 to 'which the lower ends of the outer members il] and 3B are seein-ed at each side oif re 2:3, the central member being thus si pended :troni the bar 234i with its lower/end in the said re but out of 30 contact. lwith the surrounding parts thereof.

'the central member 32 is pipvided with an openingvf adjacent its louer end tor the reception ot the toe on the datent 25?, the vupper side et the opening being beveled back to provide a dovmwardly facing knife edged projection 23S-adapted to enter the groove 30 in the 'upper side oit the toefQS).

lt will. be ol'iserved that the length of the central member from the bar 3st to the bot- Q tom of the knife edge 36 is intended to equal through the connections shown and the ,further tact that they are of equal mass ant. equal area, those 31 and 33 may be said to torni one system ivhile the suspendel member forms a second system,

While eouzl to the others in j of much greater area in proporcated by its increased ear: t. iichness in the dranrvrese conditions it will be apparent that equal temperature in both systemsry sach would be produced by a gradf ual increase in te :iperaturo to almost any degrer vould result in an equal movement of all the members, which would necessarily be en upward and not calculated to ati'ect the operative parts the apparatus in any Way; but on'tiie 1,

hand, should the rise in 'temperature be snticiently rapid to brmg about a differential movement ot the two systems,

diie te ability o the central. member through rines/i12 its greater area in proportion to mass, to absorb heat more quickly than the members of the opposite system, the greater movement of the central member Will be exerted downwardly upon the toe 29 as a. lever to remove the upper end of the detent or trigger Q8 from engagement with the under side of 'the lever arm 23,' the lever 20 releasing the strnt 17 and allowing the freedom of the cap 6, the liquid retained thereby shooting up against the under side ot the deflector 12 and being distributed over a wide area.'

1t will be noted that owing to the inclination of the strut 17, the same when released, together with the lever Q0, will be inclined to fall away from the valve 5 and so will not impede the operation of the same.

rlhe features of the device as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, in so far as the valve release is concerned, are precisely similar .'to those,` previously described, these comprising the strut 17, lever :20 and trigger 28. the toe 29 on the latter being dispensed with however. The actuating members in this case are three metallic strips 37, and 39 bent in circle form and disposed'one within the other, the members being bonded together at one end by the screw 40 which passes through all three and secures them to the casing oit' the valve 5, and at the opposite end by a stud or rivet ll1.

The outer members 37 and 39, the latter v it Will be noted being ot much. greater thickness than the former, are preferably ot brass while the central vmember may be of nickel', the device in this torni depending for its operation upon the difference in the coeiiicient of thermal expansion of the tivo metals, and upon the difference in mass ofthe outer members formed from the same material.

'lhus, it the rise in temperature be sufficiently gradual to allow of equal absorption by they outer and inner members 39 and 37 no operative movement will result, butlf the rise in temperature be rapid the inner member will expand more quickly than the outer thus bringing about a distortion ot the circle which the members describe resulting in the displacement of the trigger 28 and the release of the valve cap 6.

In the device as shown in `Figs. 10 and 11, the expansion of a .Bourdon tube 42 prefer,- ably metallic is made use ot to displace the trigger detent 2S, the tube being suitably' a rapid increase of temperature, thus creating a pressure in the tube under the latter circumstance calculated to straighten the same and displace the trigger detent 28.

A gas otherthan atmospheric air might be used in the device as will be easily understood, and an elastic container connected with the device toreceive the surplus due to-1 i normal expansion and return the same to thc tube upona fall in temperature, or a liquid might be used, but this is so obvious that it has not beenconsidered necessary to illustrate such a connection.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the principle of operation is the same in the several variations of the device illustrated, that is to say, in each a plurality of parts are combined to form a single thermostatically operated unit, the heat engendcred forces in which are in equilibrium dur ing a gradual rise in temperature and the unit therefore operatively unresponsive, but which are differentially exerted under al rapid rise in temperature to release the valve retaining means.

Having thus fully described my said invention what I claim is 1. An automatic sprinkler' comprising a valve, means to maintain the valve normally in closed position, and means to release the valve retaining means, said last means comprisingl a plurality of parts connected to form a single thermostatically operated system positioned and responsive to a rapid rise in temperature to release the valve retaining means but unresponsive to agradual rise in temperature.

2. A sprinkler having a valve, means to maintain the valve in closed position, and

, means operated by a rapid rise in temperature to release the valve retaining means,

said last named means comprising a fieri:-

ibld container supported from the body of the' device and operatively engaging the valve retaining means, an orifice in the container communicating with the outer air, and means to control the size of the orifice whereby the same may be regulated so that a predetermined rate of increase in tem# perature will increase the pressure in the container to operate the valve release.

3. A sprinkler' having a body, a valve, a strut having one cud engaging the valve, a lever positioned to maintain the position of the strut, a. trigger supported from the body and engaging the end of the lever, and means operated by a rapid rise in temperature to actuate the trigger, thereby releasing the lever, strut and valve.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

,Y ROLAND STERLING DAVIDSON.

Witnesses:

G. S. VAN l-IALLEN,

A. A. EGGO. 

